tmac1397

Wow Jerry. What a story. Those guys were made of stern stuff for sure. Here is a photo showing the type of chute and harness they wore. The chute attached on the chest by the hooks on the front of the harness. Thanks for sharing. B26 crew with parachute

Well said. The British army entered the area about 6 days later and fought back and forth over the same ground for almost three weeks. Each assault was preceded by artillery barrages causing horrendous losses. Many hundreds if not thousands died on both sides and were later buried as unknowns in British and German cemeteries throughout Normandy. Perhaps they are buried that way. Thanks for your time.

Thank you again for taking the time to reply. If the witnesses are correct, one man landed about .5 miles from the plane wreckage and the other about 1.5 miles from the wreckage. It looks like the plane went in like lawn dart. I wish it was not possible for one man to end up so far away, but it appears that it is. It would be so much easier to say with certainty that they couldn't have gotten out but they certainly could have. My ballpark guess is that they would have had to deploy at around 5,000 feet or about 20 seconds after being hit in order to make it. The plane had broken up into multiple pieces so perhaps they were thrown out and were able to deploy. I'll never know for certain. Thank you again. I appreciate all the responses.

Hello, We have no record of them being listed as captured after landing. The German records from the time are slim and many records did not survive the war. The ground was being held by an SS unit at the time, and it was not uncommon (though not a truly regular practice) for ground troops to shoot men hanging in their chutes. If they did make it to the ground alive they may have been badly injured and did not survive, or were possibly executed shortly after capture. This of course is all speculation about what may have happened to these two men. I'm only going off of the facts I know from reports I have in my possession. Thank you for your reply.

Probably a stupid question, but is there some type of online calculator that could help determine the amount of drift from different altitudes, wind speeds etc.?

Thank you. I know there are a million factors that make up how the distance could be so different. The planes were only at about 10,000 feet or so when struck and it fell almost on top of the guns that shot them down. I'm just thinking of the difficulty I imagine in getting the chute attached and deployed in such a short amount of time(less than 45 seconds) Also I don't see any chutes in the pictures. Maybe they're off frame. Anyway, there is one identified area where a large part of the plane fell (probably the tail section)that has not been explored. With this new information about possible parachutes it is not cost effective for the U.S. military to excavate this area without more evidence that they might actually find remains. I understand the thinking but still wish they would dig.

I am new to the forum and even less than a novice about skydiving. I am seeking help regarding some questions I have about a U.S. WW2 bomber crew that may have bailed out over France in June 1944. I'll try to be brief: My uncle was a tail gunner and was part of a crew of 8 men aboard a U.S. B26 Marauder bomber that was shot down by AA fire in France in June 1944. The plane fell in German held territory and the crew was initially declared MIA. They were actually killed as the plane took a direct hit and crashed within about 40 seconds of the AA strike. Over the decades, the remains of 6 of the 8 men have been recovered, including one just last year. My uncle and one other man remain missing and I am trying to do all I can to find their remains for burial back in the U.S. The most recent information we have learned is that in September 2017 the U.S. military interviewed two elderly witnesses who were small children at the time of the crash. These witnesses describe seeing men bail out of the plane in very close succession and land by parachute very near where they were standing. The two witnesses were a little over 1 mile apart as the crow flies and each claimed seeing only one man land very close to them. This would mean that if the witnesses are correct, the men landed about a mile from each other. I have extensively researched this crash and know the air speed of the plane, altitude at the time the plane was struck, the wind speed and direction at altitude and have a good idea of the decent rate of the gear they were using at the time. I do NOT know the altitude at which they allegedly bailed out, or the wind speed at the surface. I have some amazing pictures which show the plane crashing and a wide frame of the area as it was falling. The plane had broken up into multiple pieces before hitting the ground so I think they would have had very little time to get out, probably less than 45 seconds. These men did not wear their parachutes full time because the planes were so cramped. They wore harnesses that a chute could be attached to in an emergency, but with the plane on fire and spinning and breaking up, I'm not sure this could be accomplished. Basically I'm not certain these last two men bailed out. I do not see any parachutes in the pictures. I do not doubt these witnesses but I'm not certain they are recalling the same plane crash as my uncle's crew. My question to the forum membership is this: If they bailed out in close sequence, or at the same time at roughly the same altitude, is it possible that they could end up over a mile from each other? As I stated, I am a total novice in all matters skydiving. I was hoping someone with knowledge of the mechanics/physics of parachuting could help me understand this problem. I have photos, maps, and documents that might assist in any questions anyone who might be able to help me has. I thank you for your time and assistance in this matter.